


How Marcus Learned to Love a Cat

by Elayna



Category: The Eagle | The Eagle of the Ninth (2011), The Eagle | The Eagle of the Ninth - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Don't copy to another site, First Kiss, First Time, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-26
Updated: 2019-10-26
Packaged: 2021-01-03 19:02:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21184415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elayna/pseuds/Elayna
Summary: Marcus enjoys himself when his roommate is out for the evening.





	How Marcus Learned to Love a Cat

Cold beer in a frosty glass, check. 

Phone playing his mellow playlist, check. 

Bubble bath and bath salts, check. 

Irritating roommate out for the evening, check.

Marcus poured the bubble bath and bath salts into the hot running water, watching with satisfaction as bubbles formed on the surface, glistening and foamy. He stepped into the hot water, slowly sinking down, watching as his legs and then body up to his waist were covered. There was a scent of pine and juniper in the air, pleasant but still manly. 

He relaxed against the back of the tub, sipping from his beer, appreciating being able to indulge himself with Esca out for the evening. Irritating wasn't exactly the right word for his new roommate. Hot, hot was a very good word for him. Short and slim but tightly muscled, not one spare ounce of fat on him, exactly Marcus' type. Marcus was still adjusting to spending most of the day sitting at a desk in the office, and he knew his own tendency to enjoy good food. Living with Esca would be useful. Looking at the other man's trim figure would keep him aware of his own need to exercise. 

Intriguing, that was another good word for him, Marcus reflected, head back and eyes shut. Marcus hadn't even known him before moving in, having been introduced by their mutual friend Cottia. Finding housing that would allow him to keep his dog had been proving difficult for Marcus; Esca's roommate had moved out, leaving him with a vacant room and a lease that allowed pets. 

At first it had seemed like Esca would reject him before they met. "I told him you had a dog," Cottia said, "and he's sympathetic but he doesn't want your dog to attack his cat." 

"You know Charlie wouldn't do that. He's a big love, and he's well trained."

"He's almost scarily well trained, I know that, but—"

Marcus had turned his best puppy eyes on her, and she'd surrendered easily, arranging a visit to Esca's house, for them and their pets to meet. After a brief tour, Marcus wanted to move in immediately. Not that the house was particularly amazing, just a small two bedroom in a quiet neighborhood, but it was close to Marcus' work and had a backyard that would be perfect for his golden lab. 

"I think you can see that Charlie's well-behaved," he said earnestly to Esca, who was cradling a tabby cat in his arms. The cat sat regally in his arms, like it was her right to be held. She seemed okay for a cat, even if Marcus had never quite seen the appeal of an animal who couldn't play fetch. 

"She seems to be tolerating him," Esca admitted. 

Charlie's tongue lolled out of his head as he sat at Marcus' feet, exactly where Marcus had pointed. "They'll get along great. I will absolutely make sure of it."

Esca eyed his Philadelphia Eagles shirt. "I suppose you'll be watching football every Sunday afternoon." 

That was clearly not a good thing in Esca's estimation. "Sometimes," Marcus admitted, because outright lying seemed a bad way to start a relationship. "But I can go to a friend's or a sports bar too."

"I'm often out on Sundays," Esca offered. "We can give it a try. I appreciate that you don't want to just dump your dog at the pound so you can find a place."

"He's my family," Marcus said simply, scratching Charlie behind his ears. His dad had died when he was a kid, his mom was busy with her charity work and new husband, and his uncle zoomed all over the world, enjoying his retirement. Charlie was the only one who was always there for Marcus. "What's her name?" he asked. 

"Cara. It's Gaelic for friend. Is Charlie named for someone?" 

"Chuck Bednarik, the greatest Eagle player ever. He was known as Concrete Charlie." 

Esca nodded, like he was unsurprised that Marcus' dog was named after a football player, and Marcus decided against rhapsodizing about Concrete Charlie's record. 

Like his cat, Esca had seemed a little cool, a little reserved, but they'd settled in amiably, and Esca turned out to be more open and passionate then he first appeared. Both of them were busy with their own lives but quickly developed a casual friendship over the occasional shared meal at home. 

The cat continued to be a tolerable animal, even if she did occasionally sleep in Charlie's dog bed, Charlie laying on the floor next to her and looking mournfully at Marcus when he walked by. Marcus refused to intercede, figuring Charlie ought to be able to nose her out of his space.

Marcus opened his eyes, to pick up his beer, and jumped slightly, startled to see Cara crouched on the edge of the tub, looking down at the water. "Hey, cat." He flicked a few drops of water toward her. She blinked her green eyes but seemed undisturbed. He grabbed his beer, sipping slowly, savoring the taste. 

From the doorway, Charlie whined. "Go lay down," Marcus ordered, and Charlie whined again but went, either to his dog bed in Marcus' room or his spot on the living room rug. 

"It's not fair, you know," he told Cara. "He's been trained to not enter the bathroom but you go anywhere you want."

Cara looked unimpressed. She was lovely, her tabby stripes shades of tan, brown, and black, with a white chest, underbelly, and paws. There were more colors in her tabby stripes than Marcus had realized, and the sharp contrast of her white fur was surprisingly cute.

"Stalker cat. Why are you watching me?"

Unsurprisingly, she didn't explain. 

Marcus wiggled his toes out of the water, and she turned her head to watch. "I'm going to get you wet if you're still there when I get out," he warned her. "I'll drip water on you." That threat didn't stress her. Maybe she knew he was bluffing. 

Marcus drank some beer and put it down, shutting his eyes again, drifting off to thoughts of Esca and their relationship. 

Sometimes he contemplated making a pass at his hot, intriguing roommate, but always held back. They were doing well as roomies, but Esca gave no sign of any deeper interest, deflecting any mild suggestion from Marcus that they do anything together. He'd let Marcus cook for him if they both happened to be at home, as making two different meals would be silly, but that was all. 

Thinking of Esca, Marcus stroked his cock idly. He'd learned soon after moving in that Esca maintained his excellent shape through ballet, walking in on him in the living room wearing tights that clung to his legs and ballet shoes. He'd watched for a few minutes, appreciating his intense focus, the steadiness of his moves, and the flexibility of his body before whistling Charlie awake and getting out of the house. 

Unfortunately, Esca didn't have a set schedule for his exercise, so Marcus learned to be spontaneous in his runs. He didn't want to look so prudish as to suggest that Esca at least wear a shirt, but he also didn't want to walk around with a boner in front of his roomie. 

The point of bathing was to relax, Marcus reminded himself, pushing away images of a sweaty Esca leaping in the air and spinning, keeping his motions precise and contained, limited by the size of the living room. Instead, he rubbed the scar on his thigh, as if he could encourage it to fade more, while one song ended and another began.

Marcus was grateful that Cottia had raved about the joys of taking a hot bath. Sports had been his love and he'd been good at everything he'd tried. His coaches always pushed ice baths, which became a regular feature of his teenage and college years, until the car accident destroyed those dreams. He'd recovered, but he'd never be world class. Now he loved a hot soak, vegging out and loosening his muscles. 

"Are you still watching me, you silly beast?" He asked the cat, still with his eyes closed. "I'd rather it was your owner. I'd be happy with him watching me naked."

"She has good taste," Esca said. 

Marcus jerked, sitting up, water sloshing out of the tub. Cara leaped down from the tub, flicked one paw that had gotten wet, and stalked out of the bathroom.

"Charlie didn't bark," Marcus said stupidly. 

"I think he knows I live here and he doesn't have to alert you to my presence anymore."

"I didn't hear you come in."

"I was being quiet. The lights were off in the living room; I thought you'd gone to bed early." Esca stalked forward, leaning down to pick up Marcus' glass, taking a long swallow. "You have good taste."

To his embarrassment, Marcus realized he was hard, just from being naked while Esca was so close. He stopped himself from looking down but feared his dick was poking out of the bubbles, which had been slowly dissipating. 

"Stand up," Esca said, his tone not quite an order, but not really a request either. 

Esca would definitely know about his problem if he stood. Marcus obeyed, his body wet and covered with bubbles, his dick heavy and full. 

"Beautiful," Esca said with reverence, studying Marcus' naked form, his eyes lingering on his broad chest before dropping to the jagged scar down the length of his right thigh. "I've been trying to not read too much into your friendliness, but from what I heard, I was mistaken."

Marcus stood still, keeping his hands by his sides, letting Esca look his fill. He knew he was in good shape and was pleased that Esca seemed to appreciate it. "Read anything you want into it. Read everything."

Esca's fingers curled around Marcus' dick, giving it a loose stroke, making Marcus give a quiet moan. "Rinse off. I'll be in my bed."

"I'll be there." 

Marcus didn't linger, turning off the music and pulling the stopper out of the tub before blasting water from the shower head to rinse off the bubbles. His dick stayed hard as he roughly toweled off, grateful he'd kept his head out of the water. His hair was messy and a little damp from the moisture in the air but not soaking wet. 

For a moment, he contemplated wrapping the towel around him, then hung it back up. False modesty was ridiculous, even if he felt a bit nervous, walking bare naked down the hall toward Esca's bedroom. 

Esca was sitting naked on his bed, covers pushed away and one foot propped up on the sheets. 

"Absolutely gorgeous," he said, as Marcus hovered in the doorway. 

"You're gorgeous," Marcus said, because Esca was, muscles perfectly outlined under pale skin, no scars or imperfections. 

Swinging his foot to the floor, Esca sat on the edge of the bed, legs spread. "I love the beauty of your mouth, the way your lower lip is fuller than the top. I'd love to see you put it to good use."

Marcus' mouth watered at the idea of sucking Esca's cock, nicely proportioned for his size and already stiff. He crossed the room, dropping to his knees between Esca's feet. 

Esca curled one hand around the back of Marcus' head and held his cock with the other, feeding it into Marcus' mouth. Marcus accepted it without hesitation, licking around the head, tasting the few beads of pre-come, moaning deep in his throat. 

"I should have jumped you the night you moved in."

Marcus moaned in agreement, bobbing his head forward, letting a few inches slide into the cavern of his mouth. He wanted to suck him down to the root, to make him come and swallow every drop, but he also hoped Esca would fuck him. 

"Your mouth is perfect, and you love this, don't you?"

Marcus moaned again, bobbing his head back and forth, not letting Esca's cock go too deep yet, pulling back to swirl his tongue around the head. 

"We skipped something." Esca tugged on Marcus' shoulders, and Marcus whined, hoping he didn't sound too much like Charlie, before letting himself be pulled away from Esca's dick and up, until he was sitting on the bed next to Esca, who brought their lips together. The kiss was soft and sweet, a perfect first kiss. Marcus didn't mind that it had been out of order. 

Esca pulled back, his beautiful blue-gray eyes dark with desire. "You really do love this, don't you? Being told what to do."

Marcus licked his lips, delaying, wondering if he should deny it, but wanting it too much for dishonesty. "Yes," he admitted softly. 

"I want to fuck you. I've wanted to fuck you since you showed up at my door with your big dog." One hand stroked down Marcus' back, squeezed one butt cheek. "You want it?"

"Absolutely," Marcus affirmed with no hesitation or equivocation.

"Lie down. On your front." Esca stood, patting the bed, watching as Marcus almost fell onto the sheets, arranging himself in the middle. 

"Have you done this before?"

"A few times. Not often."

"People see big, hulking, sweaty football playing you and assume you want to top, don't they?"

"Yeah." Marcus had hated that others made that assumption, but not figured out a good way to persuade them out of it. 

"I was making that mistake too, keeping my distance. But you're a tubber, you like hot baths and cold beer and slow music. You've got a streak of the sensual hedonist in you."

"That's good, right?"

"It's excellent." One of Esca's lubed fingers pressed at Marcus' hole while his other hand stroked his back, calming him. Marcus was grateful that he was still relaxed from the hot bath. Getting prepared was always a little uncomfortable at first, but Esca was slow and persistent, gradually adding more fingers, rewarding Marcus' calm with tempting touches to his prostate. 

Out of nowhere, Esca's hand that had been stroking his back gave him a sharp smack on his flank. Marcus gasped at the pleasure-pain and humped the sheets. 

"Don't move," Esca ordered. 

"Fuck. Warn a guy."

"What would be the point of that?" Esca asked, amused, as Charlie gave a bark from the doorway, obeying his training not to enter Esca's bedroom but concerned at Marcus' gasp. 

"Charlie." Marcus snapped his fingers, and Charlie rushed to his side. He gave the dog a few rough pets on his neck, reassuring him. "Go lay down. Lay down." 

Charlie whined but obeyed. On his way out, he gave a meaningful look at Cara, who was sitting like a statue on the top of Esca's dresser, her tail curled around her paws. 

Esca pulled his fingers out of Marcus' hole, leaving him feeling empty. "Turn over." 

Even as he obeyed, automatically spreading his legs, Marcus complained, "Your cat is watching."

"She'll leave when she's bored." 

"She's the one who should be trained," Marcus grumbled, but his attention was already shifting to Esca—naked, gorgeous Esca—rolling a condom on his dick and coating it with lube. 

Esca's tongue flicked over Marcus' nipples, his teeth closing on Marcus' shoulder as he positioned himself, his dick shoving into Marcus' opening. "Do you really care right now?"

Cat, what cat? "Hell, no," Marcus said, closing his arms around Esca, his hands gripping the other man's butt, the cheeks so tight and firm. "Fuck me."

"I intend to." 

Even with Esca's thorough preparation, the stretch burned, but it was a good burn, pleasure united with the feeling of being pushed to his limits. Marcus dug his fingers into Esca's skin, hoping he'd find bruises there in the morning. "What are we now?" he gasped, because that's what he should have been asking, not worrying about the damn cat. Where was this going? "Fuck buddies?"

"Lovers," Esca insisted, his tone as fierce as his eyes. "Roommates, boyfriends, significant others, whatever word you want to use, only I'm not giving you up. Not now."

"Good," Marcus said, and then he could only gasp, because Esca had a lot of power in his wiry form, driving his dick deep, rocking his hips in a steady rhythm that compelled Marcus to respond. 

Esca's hands threaded into Marcus' hair, holding his head, Esca's tongue stabbing into his mouth, wet and messy, more sharing breath than kissing. Marcus felt controlled and cherished, all of Esca's focus on fucking him into the mattress. His dick was trapped between their bodies, caressed by Esca's belly with every rolling thrust of Esca's hips. 

Marcus wished he could stay in this moment forever, but came before he wanted to, his eyes rolling back in his head as he felt the rush of a drop into free fall, his dick spurting between their bodies as Marcus moaned into Esca's mouth. 

Esca slumped onto Marcus, who was glad to hold him. Both of them rested for a few moments, panting, letting their hearts settle. Slowly, Esca pulled out, giving Marcus one brief kiss before disappearing down the hall. He returned with a wet washcloth, wiping the come off Marcus' skin before tossing the washcloth toward the hamper. 

Even as he appreciated Esca's caring touch, Marcus felt compelled to say, "If we fuck this up, being roommates is going to be messed up." 

"Then we don't fuck it up. For the sake of our family." 

"I like that, our family," Marcus agreed softly, feeling fond of stalker cat. She was still on the dresser, but cleaning one of her paws like she'd gotten bored with human hijinks. 

Getting back into bed, Esca pushed on Marcus, turning him to his side, facing away. Marcus followed the direction of Esca's insistent hands until they were spooned together.

"I'm the little spoon?"

Esca pulled the blankets over them. "You like it, don't you?"

Marcus thought about it, the warmth of Esca's wiry body curled around his, drying sweat on his body. He felt exhausted in the very best way, like winning a game at the last second and being so tired he could barely move. "Yeah."

"Good." Esca gave a yawn that sounded like it cracked his jaw, snuggling an arm around Marcus' waist. 

Cara leaped up on the bed and curled into a ball, in the curve of Marcus' body but not touching him. "She sleeps with you?"

"She's been my only family. She sleeps wherever she wants."

Marcus had been aware that Esca never mentioned family, but had chosen not to press. How similar were their backgrounds? Now didn't seem the time to visit potential tragedy, but he would soon. He wanted to know everything. "Charlie sleeps with me."

There was a pause, Esca's breath warm on the back of Marcus' neck. "You wash the blankets. He's going to shed a lot more than her."

"You make the bed."

Esca squeezed Marcus' waist. "Deal."

Marcus whistled, and Charlie's nails clicked on the wood floor as he came running down the hallway. "There boy," he said, pointing to the foot of the bed. Charlie leaped up, landing on the bed heavily, before making a small circle three times and flopping onto his side, sprawling on their feet. 

"He's well-trained, but he takes any inch he can."

Marcus snorted. "And your cat is a stalker."

"My cat is a genius." Esca squeezed Marcus. "I don't know how many more weeks I would have kept myself to being polite if I hadn't heard you talking to her."

"Point," Marcus agreed, giving Cara a gentle skritch. Maybe cats were pretty decent animals after all. 

~ the end ~

**Author's Note:**

> Every AU version of Esca has a dance background, and every Marcus is into football in my head canon. I blame Jamie Bell and Channing Tatum. Inspired by my own stalker cat. Hugs to Seaward for the support and betaing. I fussed one last time before posting, so all mistakes are mine. Comments and kudos greatly appreciated!


End file.
